Cop Shoots Schizophrenic Teen Who'd Already Been Tasered, After Saying "We Don't Have Time For This"

A schizophrenic teen was fatally shot over the weekend in North Carolina by police officers. Now, the news outlet WECT reports that one of the officers who arrived at the scene in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina has been placed on leave. The officer’s name is Detective Byron Vassey, though the police chief did not confirm whether he pulled the trigger.

The incident started on Sunday afternoon, when three cops arrived at the home of 18-year-old Keith Vidal. The first officer who arrived at the home reported that there was a confrontation, but then told the second police unit that everything was OK.

But shots were fired from an officer in the second unit, who arrived after the first officer. The teen’s father, Mark Wilsey, said that the family called the police for help with their schizophrenic son, who was holding a small screwdriver. The family says their son would not have hurt anyone with the screwdriver.

Vidal, Wilsey’s son, was tasered first. But according to Wilsey, an officer said, “we don’t have time for this,” and then shot Vidal.

"There was no reason to shoot this kid," Wilsey told WECT. "They killed my son in cold blood. We called for help and they killed my son."

North Carolina is now investigating the incident.

Alex Kane is former World editor at AlterNet. His work has appeared in Mondoweiss, Salon, VICE, the Los Angeles Review of Books and more. Follow him on Twitter @alexbkane.